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King Almaer
King Almaer was a human warrior and strategist from Kythelum. He became the first king of the Kythel Federation following his success in the Southern Esperean Consolidation War. History Early Life Almaer was born in Cynesetl, the ancient capital city of Kythelum, to the ruling Algild and Ordmaer during Spring. He was raised as the prince of Kythelum, receiving a fine education in preparation for his ascent to the throne. Shortly after Almaer reached the age of five, a glory-seeking knight from Ionad Mòr-Thìr by the name of Benneit stormed the castle of Cynesetl with his personal army. Queen Algild was kidnapped in the attack. Benneit's forces escaped with a two-day lead, but Ordmaer and his knights managed to run down the invaders just before they crossed back into Ionad Mòr-Thìr. The invaders took a watchtower, from which an archer managed to strike Ordmaer. However, the tower was overrun, and Benneit ended up leaping from its window to his death. The king and queen returned to Cynesetl, but Ordmaer succumbed to his wound and passed away. Following the Benneit episode, Algild remained in power as queen and continued to raise Almaer. His education increasingly focused on matters applicable to commanding the military directly. Late in the Winter, Almaer's sister Begild was born. She, too, was taught matters of war. Ascent to the Throne At some point, Algild was struck by Adakaku, after which point she was corrupted over time by her growing paranoia. Algild was quietly escorted away from the castle when it became clear that she was transforming into a monster. With the queen gone, Almaer was crowned king of Kythelum at the age of fifteen. Begild, nine at the time, was notably absent from her brother's coronation. She had been brought to Prìomh-Bhaile, the capital of Ionad Mòr-Thìr, by a royal envoy attempting to arrange a (future) marriage to end the tensions between the two nations. This offer was rejected, with no reason given. Suppression of Monsters Wary of the paranoid mindset that brought down his mother, Almaer began his reign with a careful eye fixed on Ionad Mòr-Thìr but no intention of conflict. Instead, he spent much of his effort and military resources on putting down the monsters that were appearing throughout Kythelum. When Almaer was seventeen, his apporach to the monsters began to shift. Kythelum's army began to attempt to capture a select few of the creatures, building up a small collection for study over then next few years. Almaer knew Begild had been studying magic for some time, so he asked her to take a look. Begild spent several weeks locked in the royal library after studying the monsters. As it turns out, that time was spent formulating a strategy for what came to be known as the Southern Esperean Consolidation War. Planning the War Begild was unsure of how Almaer would react to her full plan, so she decided to lead him through it one step at a time. The first step was to stoke his anger against Ionad Mòr-Thìr. Her study of the monsters had revealed how they came to be, but she claimed the exact details were too complex to explain. Accurately predicting Almaer would trust his sister's word on the matter, she blamed Ionad Mòr-Thìr for Algild's transformation. She also reminded him that it was a knight of Ionad Mòr-Thìr that killed King Ordmaer, and that Ionad Mòr-Thìr had refused the peace envoy she missed his coronation for. Once Almaer's anger had been riled, Begild suggested sending spies into Ionad Mòr-Thìr, to which Almaer eagerly agreed. Almaer was discouraged by the report that came back of a stone wall having been constructed just East of the border. Begild, having already discovered and planned around this, proposed attacking from Ryklân. Lesser defenses on the border between Ionad Mòr-Thìr and Ryklân than on the border between Ionad Mòr-Thìr and Kythelum, as well as Ryklân's bounty of active farmland, were the principle benefits of this strategy. Almaer questioned the idea of making a second enemy in pursuit of the first, but Begild assured Almaer that Ryklân posed no military threat, and the lack of precautions Ionad Mòr-Thìr took against Ryklân was proof of as much. Reluctantly, Almaer agreed.Category:Humanoids